Of Airports and Pharmacies

I just read this and had to share. It is very good and I hope I won't have copyright problems for sharing it. Enjoy it

It was the least important task of the day: a visit the pharmacy. "I am sorry, I don't know why we overlooked the prescription," the pharmacist explains. "The script will be ready in about 20 minutes, OK?"

I take a deep breath. No. It's not OK. How could you overlook a script that was submitted six hours ago?

I exhale and smile. Of course it will be OK! I will sit right here in the waiting area with the blood pressure machine, in the tiny uncomfortable chair that conveys only one verbal message: I am ill.

I look at my surroundings. My mind wanders to a recent conversation I had with my father. I commiserated with him about wasted time in airports between flights. He listened and explained how he dealt with the delays: "I pray and tell God, 'Here I am , if I can help anyone...' Inevitably, I always have someone approach me. Even on things as small as finding the right gate. you should try it."

Why not? I take a moment to "try it." Then I sit and wait. Have 20 minutes passed already? Maybe I should have asked my father if that prayer works for everyone, or if it applies only to theologians at airports.

"Excuse me. Spanish?"

The young man is talking to me. He does not speak English and desperately needs to find baby supplies. He holds up a coupon with a specific brand name. Together we walk through the aisles and find the item. "Gracias!" He heads home. I head back to my seating area.

"Would you help me? I didn't bring my glasses and cannot make out that number on the label."

It seems as if my surroundings have suddenly come alive! There is too much to do! There is the woman with a broken arm, trying to hold a full gallon of milk. An older gentleman has inadvertently dropped a basket of items and cannot reach down to collect them. An expecting mother needs assistance to grab the last jar of prenatal vitamins at the end of a high shelf. I am running quick errands for others. I smile, shaking my head in disbelief.

Then I see her: an elderly woman walking toward the pharmacy counter. She looks at me and offers a genuine smile. Every step she takes is carefully planned. Her very appearance demands no respect from those walking around her, carelessly bumping into her purse. She does not seem to mind, as if used to the fast-paced world interfering with the slow pace of her body. What does she need?

"I know you don't work for me."

I turn to see a man with a name badge that reads: "Brett, Store Manager." He wants to know why I've been running around the store helping customers. Do I know them? I realize that I may need this pharmacy again, so I share the details: waiting at the pharmacy, conversation with mu father, the prayer...

I wait for Brett to provide that "look" indicative of "I think you need professional help." Instead, I receive a simple "Thank you for the reminder." reminder?

As I walk back to the pharmacy, I notice the elderly woman standing at the counter, rummaging through her purse, taking out tissues and a wallet. Something is wrong. I see the pharmacist and Brett speaking softly behind the counter. After a pause, Brett returns to the counter and with apologies tells the woman her prescription is no covered by Medicare. She begins to close her purse and does not look at him. He is not done.

"From now on, when you need this script filled, call and ask for me. I will fake care of it. No expense to you."

She takes the card, looks down at her purse, wipes away a tear, and thanks him. With a smile Brett steps away and lets the pharmacist handle the transaction. Walking by me, he smiles and states the obvious: "Perhaps we should transform the world into an airport or a pharmacy. There is always a place where somebody needs help or healing."

This was written by Dixil Rodriguez, a college professor and volunteer hospital chaplain, she wrote for Adventist Review in October 2011.

And after a while...

I haven't written anything in a while. Sometime I think this is not for me, but some other times I get encouraged by such beautiful words written by someone else that I can't help but share. I guess in the right time God gives us the right words to speak, to write, to "type"...
I came across today with a very well written modern parable by a great writer Max Lucado in his little booklet entitled "God's Mirror". He gave a different prospective on the third commandment and I want to write in his words what it says:

... Who could read the third commandment without remembering to live for God's glory?
I signaled a time-out, opened Exodus, and read the third command: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain...' Exodus 20:7.

(Max Lucado was in an airplane having a conversation with a Jewish Rabbi.) He goes on writing:

My puzzled expression was enough to request an explanation. "Don't think language; think lifestyle," he instructed. "The command calls us to elevate the name or reputation of God to the highest place. We exist to give honor to His name. May I illustrate?" ... I took notes. He proceeded to create a story involving a Manhattan skyscraper. Everyone in the building works for the CEO, whose office is on the top floor. Mos have not seen him, but they have seen his daughter. She works in the building for her father. She exploits her family position to her benefit.

One morning she approaches Bert, the guard. "I'm hungry, Bert. Go down the street and buy me a danish." The demand placed Bert in a quandary. He's on duty. Leaving his post puts the building at risk. But his boss's daughter insists, "Come on; hurry up." What option does he have? As he leaves, he says nothing but thinks something like "If the daughter is so bossy,k what does that say about her father?" She's only getting started. Munching on her muffin, she bumps into a paper-laden secretary.
"Where are you going with all those papers?"
"To have them bound for an afternoon meeting."
"Forget the meeting. Come to my office and vacuum the carpet."
"But I as told..."
"And I am telling you something else."
The woman has no choice. After all, this is the boss's daughter speaking, which causes the secretary to question the wisdom of the boss.

And on the daughter goes. Making demands. Calling shots. Interrupting schedules. Never invoking the name of her dad. Never leveraging her comments with, "My dad said..."
No need to.

Isn't she the boss's child? Doesn't the child speak for the father? And so Bert abandons his post. An assistant fails to finish a task. and more than on employee questions the wisdom of the man upstairs. Does he really know what he is doing? They wonder.

... The girl dishonored the name of her father, not with vulgar language, but with insensitive living.... But what if the daughter acted differently? Rather than demand a muffin from Bert, she brings a muffin to Bert. "I thought of you this morning," she explains. "You arrive so early. Do you have time to eat?" And she hands him the gift.

En rout to the elevator she bumps into a woman with an armful of documents. "My, I'm sorry. Can I help?" the daughter offers. The assistant smiles, and the two carry the stacks down the hallway.

And so the daughter engages the people. She asks about their families. Offers to bring them coffee. New workers are welcomed, and hard workers are applauded. She, through kindness and concern, raises the happiness level of the entire company.

She does so not even mentioning her father's name. Never does she declare, "My father says..." There is no need to. Is she not his child? Does she not speak on his behalf? Reflect his heart? When she speaks, they assume she speaks for him. And because they think highly of her, they think highly of her father.

They've not seem him. They've not met him. But they know his child, so they know his heart.
... Paul wrote: "We are ambassadors for Christ as though God were making an appeal through us..." 2 Corinthians 5:20.

The ambassador has a singular aim - to represent the King. He promotes the king's agenda, protects the kings reputation, and presents the king's will. The ambassador elevates the name of the king.

I pray that we do the same. May God rescue us from self-centered thinking. May we have no higher goal than to see someone think more highly of our Father, our king.
"You know how the story ends? the rabbi asked..."No, I don't. How?"

"The daughter takes the elevator to the top floor to see her father. When she arrives, he is waiting in the doorway. He's aware of her good works and has seen her kind acts. People think more highly of him because of her. And he knows it. As she approaches, he greets her with six words." The rabbi paused and smiled ... "What are they? " I urged, never expecting to hear an orthodox Jew quote Jesus. "Well done, good and faithful servant."
May all of us reflect the Father's heart until we hear the same.

And I don't have anything else to add....

Happy Sabbath to all

Saying I Love You

I have lived in the U.S. for over 7 years now, and among one of the things that caught my attention from the beginning is how often the words "I love" are used. People say I love my dog, I love pizza, I looove such and such singer, I love hamburgers, I love ice cream and finally... I love you!!!

What is the real meaning of the phrase "I - Love - You"? I can't say to someone I just met that I love him/her, love is not something that happens instantly. Love requires time, requires a relationship, spending time together, and more time. As I get to know my husband better every day, I love him more. As I spend more and more time with my son, I love him more and more.

Sometimes we just "forget" the real meaning and it becomes so frequent the use of these words that we pass by opportunities to say real "I Love You"s... My husband has a childhood friend with whom he lost contact in the last few years... and I could see him bothered for not being able to speak with this friend. This went on for a long while. Finally yesterday he met us at the park where I was playing with Lucas. I saw that there was something different about him, almost like a puzzled look and when I asked what had happened, he said he had just hung up the phone with this one friend!

As I heard my husband talking about all the things they did together as kids and teenagers, I could see how much he appreciated that friendship and how much he loved this friend but hadn't had the opportunity to tell him that in a long time.

I hope I won't miss the opportunity to tell my loved ones how much I love and appreciate them. May I remember what the word love really means and tell it to the right people while they are still here, while we can share moments together, while we can hear each other's voices and while we can laugh even at the silliest jokes.

My dad always says, nothing you say about someone matter after they are not around. So let us tell I Love You to those who we really love and may the joy of doing so last for the rest of your days.

The Flag Of Allegiance

Again... I read it, liked it.. then I am sharing it...

Hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God. Ezekiel 20:20

In the early 1600s Dorothy Traske conducted a private preparatory school in London. A lengthy waiting list testified to her popularity as a teacher.

Mrs. Traske and her husband, John, were Puritans. Puritans believed that the Church of England needed to be purified and brought back to its New Testament roots. Seeking to order their lives after the clear principles of Scripture, the Traskes ran across the Bible commands regarding the seventh-day Sabbath.

The Traskes determined to conform to this clear biblical command. Mrs. Traske closed her school on Saturday.

When pupils' parents asked why, Mrs. Traske explained her convictions. Authorities investigated, and they threw her into London's Gatehouse prison. They considered her actions a defiance of the state.

Mrs. Traske languished in prison for some 15 years. Not wanting to burden those on the outside with her needs, she subsisted for the most part on bread, water, roots, and herbs. Finally, shut away inside gray walls, she sickened and died. She was carried out of Gatehouse prison and buried in a field.

For Dorothy Traske the Sabbath was a sign of loyalty. More than just another day, it was a command from God. To reject the Sabbath was to reject the Lord of the Sabbath and the Creator who so designed it. She faced imprisonment and death, not out of loyalty to just a day, but out of her faithfulness to God's command. In theory one 24-hour period is the same as any other. But according to God's Word, the Sabbath is decidedly different.

God's command says, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy"(Ex. 20:8)

The Genesis account records: "God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." (Gen. 2:3)

The seventh-day Sabbath is God's blessed and sanctified symbol of loyalty. Fly His flag. Worship His name this very Sabbath. If Dorothy Traske was willing to die rather than compromise her Sabbath allegiance, should we not be willing to worship Him each Sabbath rather than compromise ours?

by Pastor Mark Finley, Solid Ground, March 28.

A Letter From a Friend

This is something we read for our family devotion this morning and I just wanted to share with you. It is from the Daily Devotional book called Solid Ground by Mark Finley. I hope you enjoy it as much we did.

Be Still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

Have you ever felt unusually lonely? I remember one time when I had deep feelings of loneliness, the summer of 1965. I had just completed my freshman year at Atlantic Union College, in a rural New England town about 45 miles west of Boston, Massachusetts. The college administration had chosen me to spend the summer as a student missionary in Brazil. I had never traveled out of the United States.

I flew to Sao Paulo, Brazil, and then to Belem, Brazil, on the Amazon River. From there I joined a medical missionary team on a launch called Luzeiro VI. Our launch traveled up the Amazon. We were out of touch with civilization for about a month.

I often longed for home during those long summer days and evenings. I thought about my parents, but most of all I thought about a young woman I was dating. I longed to return to the mission headquarters just to get a letter from her. Without telephones, e-mails, faxes, or other means of communication, letters were my only tie to home. They lifted my spirits. They let me know that somebody at home loved me and cared for me.

Letters can make a profound difference. Letters inspired by God can make an even more profound difference. The remarkable bond that developed between Teenie and me through those letters led eventually to our marriage.

There is someone who loves you very much, who cares deeply, who is thinking about you constantly. He has sent you a series of letters inspired by His Spirit. Every page of Scripture reveals His love.

It must be extremely disappointing to Him that we are often too busy to spend time reading His love letters. Busyness is the enemy of spirituality, a spiritual cancer that saps the vital energy of the soul. You cannot rush spirituality. You cannot sprint through the presence of God. The words of the Psalmist echo in our ears: "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).

Someone who loves you dearly has written you a precious collection of letters. Why not spend time reading them today?

Get Up

I am sitting in the couch watching my one year old son walk around. This is something new to him and he is still struggling with balance at times. He starts walking slowly, holding on to the furniture and then he picks up on the speed and takes off almost running, but his little legs can't follow the commands from his mind. Then he just stands up and do it all over again. He is gradually taking more steps at one time and pretty soon I am sure the crawling phase will be totally past, because he is growing and is part of his physical development.

It was the same thing when I was learning how to ride a bicycle. How many times I fell, but it didn't stopped me from getting up again and try another time until I finally got it?

Our spiritual journey is the same way, or at least should be. Sometimes we fall and get discouraged and think that we can't get it right. But where do these thoughts come from? I'm sure they don't come from God , because He is the one who wants to pick us up and encourage us to try again. I don't need to be discouraged if I don't get it right at once, I don't need to be down on myself for mistakes and falls. But like a little child I have got to have the faith to know that God is there to help me up and I have to get up again, take some steps, watch out for my speed and hold on to God's hands.

Now, if I hold to my son's hand he can walk without falling, I give him balance support. The same way is when we hold on to God's hands, He is more than happy to hold to our hands and then we can walk through this world without falling. So, get up, shake the dust off, hold on to God's hands and walk!

Blessings to you!!!

Extreme Makeover - Versao em Portugues

Eu tenho pensado em muitos assuntos ultimamente e entao decidi escreve-los antes que eles evaporem. Eu tenho que dizer que gosto de assistir esses programas de TV onde eles renovam coisas. Principalmente aqueles que fazem uma grande reforma na casa de pessoas que costumam fazer muito para a comunidade ou alguém que tem um filho deficiente, ou algo parecido. Eu acho que essas pessoas que fazem o makeover fazer uma grande coisa, porque estão "fazendo o bem" para alguém que nunca vai se esquecer disso.

Eu tenho que admitir que tenho alguns desses programas e uma coisa que me impressiona a é que no final de cada programa, em quase 100% dos que eu assisti, a família diz a mesma coisa: "Ah, essa casa vai mudar nossas vidas" ou algo assim "nossa vida será muito melhor agora." Não me interpretem mal, eu acredito que é muito legal ter uma casa nova com todos os tipos de decorações modernas, fotos, computadores, televisores, aparelhos de cozinha, etc Mas uma casa nova, com essas coisas novas pode fazer a sua vida ser melhor?
Então eu comecei a pensar em que tipo de reforma que eu gostaria. Eu gostaria de uma reforma na minha casa? Como sobre uma reforma em mim? Uma daquelas em que arrumam o cabelo, lhe dao roupas novas, maquiagem e assim por diante? Parece bom para mim, mas este não foi o tipo de reforma em que eu mais pensei.

Estou casada há 4 anos com um homem muito bom, um daqueles que você não encontra em qualquer esquina. Eu o conheci quando ele estava no Seminário recebendo seu diploma de Mestrado em Divindade (sim, ele é um pastor), e alem de pensar que ele era um homem bonito, a minha atenção foi atraída pelos seus traços de caráter. Ele é muito honesto, sincero, firme em suas opiniões, comprometidos com o que é verdadeiro e, acima de tudo comprometido com Deus e ao chamado que tinha para ele.

Mas com o passar do tempo fui o conhecendo melhor, descobri que ele não foi sempre assim. Ele não considera que cresceu como cristão. Ele ia à igreja, algumas vezes, mas tomou muitas decisões que não foram as melhores. Mesmo tendo bons amigos, ele se envolveu com alguns que não foram tão bons. Ele era um cara muito secular durante toda a sua adolescência e comeco da vida como joven adulto.

Mas no outono do ano de 2000 aconteceu algo que ninguém jamais poderia imaginar (eu creio que mesmo sua mãe nao imaginaria isso). Ele teve um encontro com Deus e isso o mudou para sempre. Eu chamo isso de uma reforma extrema. O Blake deixou que Deus assumisse total controle de sua vida e Ele veio e realmente fez uma reforma extrema. Quando ele me contava algumas coisas de seu passado, eu não podia acreditar que ele estava falando sobre o mesmo cara por quem eu estava apaixonada! E ainda hoje não consigo imaginá-lo diferente de como ele é agora.

O meu ponto não é me "gabar" do meu marido, eu só queria compartilhar como a vida pode ser muito mais significativa após uma reforma extrema de nossos corações e nossas mentes. O mundo hoje oferece tantas coisas que, supostamente, trazem felicidade e preenchem os vazios. Ter um carro do utimo modelo, uma bela casa, um belo corpo, roupa da moda, o último modelo de eletrônicos ... coisas. E muitos de nós somos apanhados tentando estar na moda no mesmo nivel q o mundo quer, e em nosso esforço para chegar lá, às vezes nos sentimos frustrados, decepcionados e com o coração vazio... ainda.

Quanto mais importante é preencher os vazios com o que é bom e nobre. Mas eu não posso fazer isso sozinha. Eu tenho que deixar que o Senhor venha demolir e derrubar o meu EU e fazer essa reforma extrema que Ele deseja fazer. E, entao devo fazer o que Ele disse: "Buscai primeiro o reino de Deus ... e todas as outras coisas vos serao acrescentadas."

Tenha uma semana abençoada!

Extreme Makeover

My mind has been filled with thoughts lately and I am trying to write them down before they evaporate. I have to say that I like watching makeover shows. Mostly the ones when they do a big makeover in the house of people who usually give a lot to the community or someone who has a disabled child, or something like that. I think these people who do the makeover do a great thing because they are “doing good” for someone else and this something that the ones who receive it never forget.

Ok, I have watched quite a few of those shows and the one thing that strikes me is that at the end of each show, in almost 100% of the ones I’ve seen, the family says the same thing: “Oh, this house will change our lives” or something like “our lives will be much better now.” Don’t get me wrong, I believe that it is very cool to have a brand new fancy house with all kinds of fun decorations, pictures, computers, TVs, kitchen appliances, etc. But does a new house with new stuff in it can make your life better?

Then I was thinking of what kind of makeover I would like. Would I like a makeover in my house? How about a makeover on me? One of those that they do your hair, give you brand new clothes, make up and so on? Sounds good to me, but these were not the kind of makeovers I dwelt think about the most.

I have been married for 4 years now to a very good man, one of those that you don’t find everywhere. I met him when he was at the Seminary getting his Master degree in Divinity (yes, he is a pastor), and other than thinking he was a handsome man, my attention was caught by his traits of character. He is very honest, sincere, firm in his opinions, committed to what is true and most of all committed to God and the call He had for him.

But as I got to know him better, I discovered that he wasn’t always that way. He doesn’t consider that he grew up as a Christian, he went to church a few times, and made many decisions that were not the best ones. Even though he had some good friends, he got involved with some that were not so good. He was a very secular guy all throughout his teen years and early twenties.

But in the fall of the year of 2000 something happened that nobody would ever imagine (I don’t think even his mother would imagine that happening). He had an encounter with God and it changed him forever. I call it a makeover. Blake allowed God to take control of his life and He came and really did an Extreme Makeover. As Blake would tell me some things of his past I couldn’t believe that he was talking about the same guy I was in love with! And still today I can’t imagine him being different than what he is now.

My point is not to “brag about” my husband; I just wanted to share how life can be much more meaningful after an Extreme Makeover of our hearts and our minds. The world today sells so many things that supposedly bring happiness and fill the holes. Have a nice car, a nice house, a nice body, beautiful and fashionable clothes, the last model of electronics… things. And many of us are caught up on trying to “keep up with the Jones’” and in our effort to get there, we sometimes feel frustrated, disappointed and the hole in the heart is still there.

How much more important it is to fill the holes with whatever is good and noble. But I can’t do that on my own. I have to let the Lord come and demolish the old me, tear down the self in me and do the extreme makeover He wishes to do. And then do as He said “Seek ye first the kingdom of God … and everything else will be added to you.”

Have a blessed weekend!!!

Am I Offended - Versao em Português

Estou Com Raiva?

Noite passada eu acordei as 4 da manhã para ajudar meu marido se arrumar pra viajar para Denver. Ele vai ficar fora por um dia e quando ele saiu eu voltei para a cama mas foi difícil conseguir dormir novamente. E isso não é uma coisa boa quando você tem uma criança que é o despertador da casa, e ele acordaria em algumas poucas horas!

Eu não sei quanto a você, mas minha mente pode voar de um pensamento para outro completamente diferente em questão de segundos. E eu me peguei pensando em algo que aconteceu durante o dia anterior. Eu encontro algumas pessoas regularmente durante a semana. E ontem, alguns não estavam presentes por diferentes razões. Uns estavam doentes, um outro havia sofrido um acidente de carro, e outros com caso de morte na familia. Entao alguém disse: “é o fim do mundo... sério, voce imagina, estão dizendo por aí que o mundo vai acabar dia 21 de Maio de 2011.” Esse comentário abriu as portas para todo o tipo de comentários. Esse grupo de pessoas não é um grupo que se reúne em uma igreja, pode até ser que alguns deles pertencem a alguma igreja, mas considerando os comentáris ao meu redor, eu duvido que alguém presente ali saberia dizer como o fim do mundo realmente vai ser! Eu quis dizer “apenas leiam a Bíblia e vocês vão ver que nós não temos uma data específica para isso...” Mas eu não disse nada...

E enquanto estava ali, deitada em minha cama nas primeiras horas do dia, eu pensei em mim, pensei naqueles que eu amo, amigos, família. Como nós estamos nos preparando para o fim dos tempos? Meu marido está no meio de uma série de conferências e cada vez que eu ouço suas pregações, eu vejo que não é nenhum mistério da ciência entender o que estar preparado para o fim do mundo realmente significa. Não, não é complicado. Então, porque muitos não entendem ou não querem entender ou simplesmente não se importam com isso?

Em quatro anos de casamento, eu tenho aprendido muitas coisas, mas uma delas é que eu não posso deixar que minhas vontades, meus desejos, meu eu tenham o primeiro lugar. Eu estou dividindo minha vida com alguém que eu amo e seus interesses, seus desejos são muito importantes para mim, então eu não posso simplesmente deixar que meu EU se exalte e dizer que eu quero isso ou aquilo à minha maneira. E eu penso que isso é um grande problema no mundo em que vivemos hoje em dia. Tudo é para o MEU benefício. Se EU não estou feliz no meu casamento, simplesmente saio fora e vou procurar alguém ou algo que ME faça feliz. Se EU não estou feliz com meu trabalho, vou procurar algo que ME beneficie mais. Se um amigo não age da maneira que EU penso que ele ou ela deveria agir, eu simplesmente o/a descarto e ponto.

Infelizmente é isso que acontece com famílias, igrejas e com Deus. Então, se Deus diz que eu devo fazer algo com que EU não concordo, sinto muito mas vou fazer da maneira que EU quero. Se a igreja não funciona da maneira que EU acho que deveria funcionar, eu simplesmente saio. Nós nos ofendemos com tanta facilidade!! Ofensas vão aconter em qualquer lugar em que estivermos, mas o problema maior é quando nós deixamos que o EU seja exaltado, então nós nos apegamos tanto às ofensas e focamos tanto nelas que é quase impossível pensar de forma diferente.

Eu tenho pessoas próximas de mim, de quem eu gosto muito que já me disseram “isso não é para mim” falando sobre Deus. Isso não é para mim??? E o que dizer de Deus enviando seu filho Jesus para morrer mesmo sabendo que um dia você iria dizer isso, mas Ele ainda assim o fez apenas para lhe dar a chance do arrependimento? Isso não é para você? Eu tenho muitos amigos, próximos, que não vão à nenhuma igreja ou não tem um relacionamento com Deus simplesmente porque alguém disse ou fez algo que os ofendeu.

Em um livro chamado “A Isca de Satanás” escrito po John Bevere, o autor escreve sobre isto. Ele diz “Uma das iscas mais enganosas e insidiosas de Satanas é algo que todo cristão já encontrou – ofensa. Na verdade, ofensa em si mesma não é mortal se focamos apenas na armadilha. Mas se nós a pegamos e a ingerimos e a alimentamos em nosso coração aí então ficaremos com raiva. Pessoas ofendidas, com raiva produzem frutos como dor, raiva, ultraje, ciúme, ressentimento, contenda, amargura, ódio e inveja. Algumas das consequências de quando nos apegamos a ofensas são insultos, ataques, feridas, divisão, separação, relacionamentos rompidos, traição e apostasia... Frequentemente aqueles que são ofendidos não se dão conta de que estão presos a uma armadilha. Eles não se dão conta de sua condição disso porque estão focados naquilo que outros lhes fizeram de errado... A forma mais efetiva que o inimigo tem para nos cegar é fazer com que nosso foco seja em nós mesmos.”

Egoísmo é algo muito comum em nossa sociedade, e Satanás conhece muitas maneiras discretas de fazer com que isso pareça “normal”ou que pensemos que “não há nada errado” com isso. Mas ele é quem tem mais interesse em quebrar todos os tipos de relacionamentos. Ele não quer que as famílias permaneçam juntas, que marido e esposa mantenham os votos sagrados do matrimônio, ele não quer que a igreja seja unida, ele não quer que crianças amem e respeitem seus pais, e claro que ele quer quebrar qualquer tipo de relacionamente que alguém pode ter com Deus. E é por isso que ele trabalha para exaltar o EU em nós e assim estaremos focados em nós mesmos e então será impossível construir bons relacionamentos e assim não há como ver que existe uma Luz no meio de todas as coisas ruins que acontecem no mundo.

Deus está aqui. Ele está perto de você e de mim e Ele nos deu certeza de muitas coisas. Uma delas é que de maneira alguma nós poderemos viver neste mundo sem sermos ofendidos. John Bevere diz “... Jesus nos deixou bem claro que é impossível viver neste mundo e não ter a oportunidade de ser ofendido. Ainda assim, muitos crentes ficam chocados, desnorteados e impressionados quando isso acontece. Nós pensamos que somos as únicas pessoas ofendidas. Esta resposta nos deixa vulneráveis a criar raízes de amargura. Então, devemos estar preparados e armados contra ofensas, porque nossa resposta vai determinar nosso futuro.”

Sejamos nós humildes e lembremos que não há maneira alguma de vencer contra o EU e contra Satanás. Jesus é real e Ele é o único que é capaz de nos ajudar a superar não apenas nosso egoísmo, mas ele também pode nos ajudar a superar as decepções e ofensas e amargura para com aqueles que nós pensamos que nos ofenderam.

Tenha uma boa semana!

Por Cristiane Jones, 9 de Março de 2011

Am I Offended?

Last night I woke up at 4am to send my husband on his way to Denver. He is gone for the day and as he left I went back to bed but had a hard time fall asleep again. This is not a good thing since my little man, the alarm clock in the house, was to be up in a couple of hours!

I don't know about you, but my mind can go from one subject to another complete different in no time! Then I was thinking about something that happened during the day. I meet some people on a regular basis during the week. And yesterday some were absent due to sickness, death in the family, being involved in a car accident. Then someone said "it is the end of the world... no seriously, can you imagine, they are saying that the world will end on May 21st, 2011." That comment opened the doors for all kinds of comments. This was not a group at the church, some might belong to some church or another, but considering the comments of those around me I doubt that any of them know what the end of the world will be like! I wanted to say "just read the bible and you will see that we don't have a specific date for it"... but I didn't say anything.

And as I laid in my bed in the crack of down, I was thinking about me, about those who I love, friends, family. How are we in preparing for those times? My husband is currently in the middle of a Prophecy Seminar and every time I hear him preaching I see that it is not rocket science to understand what being prepared for the end of the world is all about. No, it is not complicated. So why so many don't understand or don't want to understand, or don't care about?

In four years of marriage I have learned many things but one of them is that I cannot let my wishes, my will and my self have first place. I am sharing my life with someone I love and his interests, his wishes are very important to me so I cannot just let the SELF rise and say that I want this or that my way. And I think that is the problem with the world we live in now. Everything is to benefit ME. If "I" am not happy in this marriage, I am leaving and looking for something or someone else that will make ME happy. If "I" don't like this job, I will look for something that will benefit ME better, if this friend is not the way "I" think he/she should be, I can cut him/her off.

Sadly that is how it is in families, churches and also with God. So, if God said to do something that "I" don't agree with, I am sorry I will do it MY way. If the church doesn't function the way "I" think it should, sorry, I am leaving. We get offended so easily!! Offense will happen anywhere we are, but the problem is when we let SELF rise then we take the offense so hard and we focus so much on it that it becomes almost impossible to think differently.

I have people close to me whom I love deeply who have told me "this is not fit for me", talking about God. This is not fit for me??? How about God giving Jesus to die knowing you would say that one day, but He still did it just to give you the chance to repent? Aren't you a fit for that? I have so many friends, close friends who don't go to church or don't have a relationship with God just because someone did or said something that "offended" them.

There is a book called "The Bait of Satan" written by John Bevere and he talks about this. He says "One of his (Satan's) most deceptive and insidious kinds of bait is something every Christian has encountered - offense. Actually, offense itself is not deadly - if it stays in the trap. But if we pick it up and consume it and feed on it in our hearts, then we have become offended. Offended people produce much fruit, such as hurt, anger, outrage, jealousy, resentment, strife, bitterness, hatred, and envy. Some of the consequences of picking up an offense are insults, attacks, wounding, division, separation, broken relationships, betrayal and backsliding... Often those who are offended do not even realize they are trapped. They are oblivious to their condition because they are so focused on the wrong that was done to them... The most effective way for the enemy to blind us is to cause us to focus on ourselves."

Selfishness is something very common in our society. And Satan finds many settle ways to make it appear "normal" or with nothing bad about it. But he is the one most interested in breaking all kinds of relationships. He doesn't care for families to stay together, for husband and wife to keep the holy vows, he doesn't want the church to be united, he doesn't want children to love, and respect their parents, and of course he wants to break any relationship one can have with God. That is why he works to rise the self in us so when we are focusing on ourselves there is no way to build the relationships that matter and there is no way to see that there is a light in the midst of all the bad things that happen in the world.

God is here, he is near me and you and He has given certainty of many things. One of them is that there is no way we can live in this world without being offended. John Bevere says "...Jesus made it very clear that it is impossible to live in this world and not have the opportunity to become offended. Yet most believers are shocked, bewildered, and amazed when it happens. We believe we are the only ones who have been wronged. This response leaves us vulnerable to a root of bitterness. Therefore we must be prepared and armed for offenses, because our response determines our future."

Let's all humble ourselves and remember that there is a way to win against SELF and against Satan. Jesus is real and He is the One who is able to help us to overcome not only selfishness, but also He can help us to overcome disappointment, offenses and bitterness towards those whom we think wronged us.

Have a great week.

by Cristiane Jones on March 09, 2011